Thursday, January 29, 2009

Charles Dickens

By Arielle Potter, 11/14/07

Charles Dickens, one of the best-known and best-loved British authors, at first supported his family while his father was in debtor’s prison by working in a shoe polish factory. He was only ten years old at the time. He did not work at the factory long and attended school off and on until he was fourteen. When he was nineteen he became a reporter in Parliament which gave him some experience in writing. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was published when he was twenty-five. The book had a slow beginning but soon became very popular. This first triumph was followed by others: A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol and many, many more. These books, still well known today, were immensely popular. David Copperfield was semi-autobiographical, describing Dickens’s childhood struggles of which he had not been able to speak even to his wife.
Dickens’s private life was also remarkable. He would walk for miles through London in his spare time and was said to know the city better than anyone else. Dickens died of a stroke in 1870, but he is still remembered today for his masterful portrayal of human nature and his satires of English society. He supported many charities in his lifetime, but the greatest good he did was by his written works which urged the reforms he wished to see.

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